Jason Ouellette. Contributed photo.
BOYS’ TEAM
JASON OUELLETTE–FREEPORT GOLF
The Freeport Falcons went somewhere this fall they had never gone before.
To the top of the high school golf world.
Not only did the Falcons win a Class B championship for the first time in program history, they also produced the individual champion in Matt Kempf.
For turning Freeport into a champion in rapid time, Jason Ouellette gets The Forecaster’s nod as our Northern edition boys’ team Fall Coach of the Year.
Ouellette took over the Falcons program in 2019 and Freeport made a push for a championship, but finished second in Class B, 10 strokes behind York.
This fall, despite an abbreviated schedule and restrictions brought on by COVID-19, golf was the only sport to hold a championship and the Falcons took advantage.
Freeport, a deep and talented team that was led by Kempf, Eli Spaulding, T.J. Whelan and Finn Sharpe, went undefeated in regular season matches and wouldn’t be denied at states, shooting a team score of 324 to beat runner-up Yarmouth and Waterville by a dozen strokes.
“We enjoyed finishing second last year, but with the team we had coming in, we really focused on winning a state championship,” said Ouellette, who teaches English at Freeport High School. “We weren’t afraid to talk about it, which I think helped us fulfill our goal. This has been four years in the making. All of the golfers have put in a ton of work to get to this point, and I’m so happy they can be rewarded with a state championship. Hopefully, this puts us on the map a little bit, and we can continue to build on the tradition our seniors have helped create.”
There’s no question that Freeport is now firmly on the map and with Jason Ouellette, our Northern edition boys’ team Fall Coach of the Year, at the helm, don’t be surprised if the Falcons remain an annual state title contender.
Prior winners:
2019 Dave Halligan (Falmouth soccer)
2018 Martyn Keen (NYA soccer)
2017 Mike Hagerty (Yarmouth soccer)
2016 Paul St. Pierre (Freeport football)
2015 David Higgins (Greely football)
2014 Brian Berkemeyer (Freeport cross country)
2013 Mike Andreasen (Greely soccer)
2012 Dave Halligan (Falmouth soccer)
2011 Spike Herrick (Falmouth golf)
2010 David Higgins (Greely football)
2009 Jim Hartman (Yarmouth football)
2008 Mike Hagerty (Yarmouth soccer)
2007 Mike Andreasen (Greely soccer)
2006 Dave Halligan (Falmouth soccer)
2005 Joe Heathco (Freeport soccer)
2004 Mike Hagerty (Yarmouth soccer)
2003 Dave Halligan (Falmouth soccer)
2002 Bob Gilman (Falmouth cross country)
2001 Mark Luthe (Falmouth golf)
Marcia Wood. File photo.
GIRLS’ TEAM
MARCIA WOOD–FREEPORT FIELD HOCKEY
Freeport’s powerhouse, senior-laden field hockey program wasn’t able to win a state title this fall, but that’s the only thing the Falcons weren’t able to accomplish.
Freeport lost its first game, then closed on a nine-game surge, excelling up and down the field during an abbreviated season as once again, the Falcons stated their case as one of the best teams around.
Freeport’s rise to consistency has been due in part to some amazing players over the past few years, but the most credit has to go to the program’s architect and in that light, Marcia Wood is The Forecaster’s selection for our Northern edition Fall Coach of the Year, of a girls’ team.
Wood was also selected in the fall of 2018, as well as in the spring of 2011 for her work with Scarborough’s girls’ lacrosse program.
Wood played field hockey and lacrosse at Sanford High School and Plymouth State University, then had a highly successful run as a girls’ lacrosse coach at Scarborough, winning four Class A state titles. Wood came to Freeport to coach field hockey in 2013 and has led the Falcons to the playoffs every season. In 2018, Freeport played in a regional final for the first time in 18 years and in 2019, the Falcons were the second-best regular season team in Class B South, but weren’t able to earn a regional final rematch with York, falling to Fryeburg Academy in the semifinals.
This year’s team was led by 14 seniors and did they ever make the most of their final season. Freeport lost its opener, 1-0, at one of the best teams in Class A North, Mt. Ararat. Wood had to miss that game as she was quarantining after one of her students tested positive for COVID. She had to miss the second game too, a 3-1 victory over Brunswick, but returned in style, as the Falcons edged Yarmouth, 3-2, on senior Ally Randall’s goal just before the horn. From there, Freeport won its final seven games by a composite 29-4 margin and finished up with a 4-2 victory over Brunswick.
“It was short-and-sweet, but we were happy to get to play,” said Wood, who teaches math at Freeport. “Most of the girls have committed their lives to field hockey. They wanted to have fun and to win. We were fortunate.”
The Falcons figure to remain fortunate, and triumphant, as long as Marcia Wood, our Northern edition girls’ team Fall Coach of the Year, has the program among the state’s elite.
Prior winners:
2019 Jim Senecal (Yarmouth volleyball)
2018 Marcia Wood (Freeport field hockey)
2017 Chris Coleman (Yarmouth soccer)
2016 Nora Krainis (NYA volleyball)
2015 Bob Morse (Yarmouth cross country)
2014 Tracy Quimby (NYA field hockey)
2013 Gary Powers (Falmouth volleyball)
2012 Kelvin Hasch (Greely volleyball)
2011 Jim Senecal (Yarmouth volleyball)
2010 Rich Smith (Yarmouth soccer)
2009 Gary Powers (Falmouth volleyball)
2008 Julia Littlefield (NYA field hockey)
2007 Jeff Thoreck (NYA soccer)
2006 Kelvin Hasch (Greely volleyball)
2005 Cathy McGuire (Freeport cross country)
2004 Robin Haley (Falmouth field hockey)
2003 Robyn Thayer (Greely field hockey)
2002 Bob Morse (Yarmouth cross country)
2001 Melissa Anderson (Falmouth soccer)
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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